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Oh, and if you’d like to try it out, forward our August 1 blog post about the available Trade show display to someone who might need a handy display that can be decorated for any purpose.

For sale is for a 6 foot wide, 40″ high Black tabletop display covered in Velcro Fabric and including:

• 3 center panel section each panel 20″W  X 40″H – internally hinged.
• 2 Velcro Endcaps
• 1 Starlite halogen high intensity lamp
• Lightweight carrying case

Yes, the photo displays blue, but the available display really is BLACK!

According to the wholesaler from whom I bought this item:

Compare shop this unit at $550-$650. This quality display is an outstanding value. Comes packaged in a heavy duty corrugated shipping box for storage. These displays are lightweight, transportable and easy quick setup. These displays are an efficient marketing tool and make a quality impression at any show. This display is adaptable to any standard 6 or 8 foot table as you would find at any trade show or convention center.

It has never been used. I am offering it to EMCCC members for the price of $175, including free delivery within 15 miles of zip 19027.

I purchased this item in early 2009 for a trade show for my company Just Rites, but I decided my concept could be more effectively communicated using a custom designed display, which you can see here:
 

Below is a photo of this display as part of a trade show booth (NOTE: We had to dissipate throngs of interested prospects who had flocked to our booth to get this clean image : )

 
Thanks for looking!

I just came across an article which stood out from the pack! Headline (same as post title) caught my eye and the advice makes good sense. The article was written by Denise Corcoran, a business and leadership coach and CEO of The Empowered Business(tm).

We have compiled a list of low and no cost resources available to your organization. Although we have not tried each tool first-hand, we have used several, and have had the others recommended by satisfied, trusted colleagues. We plan to add to this list as we encounter additional resources, and welcome your recommendations as well!

LEGEND:
(F) = Free opportunity or free plans offered
(NP) = Specifically geared to nonprofit organizations
(F/NP) = Free accounts to nonprofit organizations

1. Organization Building
   • Volunteer Match – Find and post volunteering opportunities (including Board Members) with nonprofit organizations by locations and interest area (F/NP)
   • Craig’s List – Local online classified tool lets you search or post jobs, housing, community, for sale items, services and discussion forums (F)
   • Kijiji – Local classified web site for your community (browse and post listings in areas such as for sale, housing, jobs, services, pets and motors. Also have discussion boards. (F)
2. Software
   • Idealware – Candid reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits
   • Tech Soup – Technology resource aimed at nonprofit organizations featuring NPO discounts, discussions, articles, and recommendations.
3. Communication Tools – Blogs
   • Blogger – blog publishing tool for easily sharing your thoughts with the world (F)
   • Wordpress – Free blogs including custom design templates, integrated stats, automatic spam protection and many more (F)
4. Communication Tools – eNewsletters
   • Constant Contact – Email marketing software that makes it easy to create professional HTML email campaigns with no tech skills.
   • Vertical Response – Self service direct marketing. VerticalResponse for Non-Profits is a program that enables non-profit organizations to effectively communicate with their supporters via email (F/NP)
5. Online Survey Tools
   • Survey Monkey – tool to create and publish custom online surveys in minutes, and then view results graphically and in real time (F)
   • Constant Contact – Create online surveys quickly and easily with survey templates and sample surveys
   • Zoomerang – Create, send and analyze online surveys
6. Communication Tools – Website
   • Microsoft Office Live – Take your business online with a FREE Web site and e-mail, plus low cost e-commerce
7. Educational Tools
   • HP Learning Center – Instructor-led, self-paced, online business, technology and IT online classes available 24/7 (F)
   • Google – find information online (F)
   • Wikipedia – A free encyclopedia with millions of articles contributed collaboratively using Wiki software, in dozens of languages (F)
8. Event Management Tools
   • Evite – Offers event planning and invites. Features tracking, maps and reminders. (F)
   • Eventbrite – Helps businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell-out their events (F)
9. Fundraising
   • Paypal Giving Widgets – Raise funds for your cause. Promote your goal and track contributions easily. Share your widget with friends, loyal readers, and visitors.
10. Stock Photos
    • MorgueFile – High-resolution digital stock photography images free for either corporate or private use (F)
    • stock.xchng – Free stock photography site (F)
    • Istockphoto – Online, royalty free, international microstock photography provider operating with the micropayment business model
11. Productivity
    • Email Retreival – A free, secure and anonymous web-based email retrieval application that lets you pick yp your email from almost any email server. No registration is required to access or use the application (F)
    • Pandora – For online music while you work at your computer. You can create your own radio stations around a particular song or artist (F)
    • File Storage and Synchronization – Access your files from any computer.
    • Fax to email/email to fax -
12. Collaboration/Project Management
    • Liquid Planner – Online project management software that offers task management, project scheduling, and team collaboration in one central place. Helps teams manage change and uncertainty (F)
    • GoogleDocs – Free web-based word processor and spreadsheet, which allow you share and collaborate online (F)
    • Basecamp – Web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects (or simply ideas) and quickly create client/project extranets
13. Contact Management
    • Highrise – Online contact management system and address book. Helps track customers, leads, vendors and others.
14. Transmit Large Files
    • Yousendit – File transfer and email service. Also offer secure and large file transfer (F)
15. Advertising
    • Google Grants – In kind advertising program awards free Adwords advertising to select charitable organizations (F/NP)
16. Online Backup
    • Carbonite – Online backup service and automatic backup software securely protects the irreplaceable contents of your computer.
17. Online Photo Sharing and Management
    • Flickr – Flickr, offering free basic accounts, is a file repository for sharing and tagging photos and videos (F)
18. Accounting and Invoicing
    • Freshbooks – Online invoicing and time and expense tracking and reporting service designed to make you look professional (F)

We have compiled a list of fundraising opportunities that may be considered by nonprofit organizations (NPO). Some of these opportunities are not restricted to NPOs. We plan to add to this list as we encounter additional resources, and welcome your recommendations as well!

DISCLAIMER: We have not personally used and cannot assume any responsibility for accuracy of the claims made by the web sites referred to below. We are trying to provide a service by sharing information we have encountered that may be helpful to your and your organization. We do not make any claims regarding the appropriateness of these opportunities to your specific organization.

1. iGive – Visitors to your nonprofit website register at iGive.com under your nonprofit name and shop for everyday items at over 700 nationally known online merchants in the “Mall” section of the iGive.com website. A portion of each purchase goes to the registered nonprofit.
2. Macy*s Shop for a Cause
3. Entertainment Book Sales – The Entertainment Book, full of 50% and 2-for-1 discounts on restaurants, movies, sporting events, etc. offers a program benefiting organizations that sell their books. Books are available to fundraiser supporters at $5.00 less than regular retail price.
4. Ebay Auction Opportunity – Ebay powerseller writes guide to helping you organize and run an auction.
5. GoodSearch – GoodSearch.com will donate a penny to the charity of your choice every time you search the internet. Those pennies make dollars! GoodSearch is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
6. eScrip – Participating business partners contribute a percentage of a shopper’s grocery loyalty cards, credit card, and debit/ATM card purchases to the school, group or organization of the shopper’s choice. eScrip family of merchants includes: Safeway, Eddie Bauer, Macy*s Barnes & Nobel.
7. Acme Markets “Tape Saver Program” – Contact your local Acme Market to see if they participate. Acme has rebated to some organizations 1% of the dollar amount on register tapes of participating stores. (Unable to locate this program online).
8. Wawa Markets – The Wawa Hoagie Fundraising Coupon Program is available to community-based, non-profit 501c(3) organizations. Organizations can order coupons for Wawa Shorti® Hoagies for $2.50 and resell them as a fundraiser for $3.50. Coupons can be used at any Wawa store location and do not have an expiration date. Coupons are shipped in packs of 25, with a minimum order of 250, and a maximum of 1,000 per quarter per organization.
9. Hope for Women – Offering fair trade, socially responsible product made from Tagua, an all-natural sustainably-harvested rainforest product from Colombia. This unique product is not only beautiful, but it effectively highlights your organization with a one-of-a-kind custom product, while providing much needed employment to economically disadvantaged women artisans.
10. Cafe Press Store – Capitalize on your organization’s unique branding by selling over 80 products in a simple one-page shop. NOTE: This opportunity is not limited to non organizations.
11. Zlio – enables anyone to set up an online store in a matter of minutes. Users set up a personalized niche shop and choose stock from thousands of products made available through some 350 merchant partners. Users receive a slice of Zlio’s commission whenever a sale is made.

How much will it cost? A frequent question. But before it can be answered accurately, a number of steps should be undertaken prior to contacting a web designer for an estimate. Here’s a handy common sense planning guide to help you develop a successful web site.

1. Determine your target market(s)
   Identify who you would like to be using your site and what their objectives would be in visiting your site. Your successful web site should be able to help visitors meet their objectives.
2. Determine your web site objectives and how you will know they are being met
   Consider building in mechanisms to track number of visitors and other metrics that show your web site is being used in the way you intended. For example, a newsletter signup opportunity would be an indication that users want more of what your site is offering.
3. Determine time and budget constraints
   Design and development costs generally hinge on factors such the size (number of pages) and functionality of your site design. If your wish list exceeds your available budget, desired features can be prioritized and phased in over time.
4. Obtain input from stakeholders
   Clients, Board Members, employees and others who have an interest in your company can be surveyed to determine what information or functions they would find of value on your web site.
5. See what your competition is up to
   Visit competitor web sites to identify features and information that they provide that would also be desirable to your customers to have access to.
6. Identify appealing web sites
   Locate web sites that appeal to you visually and functionally and note what makes them work for you. Look at use of images, navigation systems, tone of the copy and other elements. It might be refreshing to look at sites in a non-related industry.
7. Make a site map
   Prepare a logical structural outline of all the pages you expect to have on your site and how they relate to each other. This process will be instrumental in determining the navigation of your web site
8. Use existing marketing materials
   Determine if your company has existing marketing collateral or other materials that would be useful to your prospective web site visitors and see how this material could be incorporated on your site. No need to create new materials, when you can simply reformat existing information.
9. Assign responsibility for new site content
   Assign one or more employees to develop content for the different sections of your site. If multiple individuals or departments are involved in developing and approving content there will be an additional need to make sure that the site copy is written and/or edited from a consistent perspective to make it a cohesive unit.
10. Develop a plan for the maintenance of your web site
    Inaccurate or outdated content is a sure turnoff to site visitors. Fresh content gives visitors a reason to return to your site. Establish a list of the various sections of your web site that need to be kept up to date and schedule for updating them. Based on factors such as the quantity and frequency of required updates, determine if it would be preferable to have your site updated in-house or maintained by your web developer.
11. Assign a project manager and develop a system to interact with your web developer
    Project time and cost can be streamlined if one person is assigned the responsibility for coordinating all internal information and communicating with your web developer on behalf of your company. This frees the web developer to do their job instead of dealing with internal conflicts, repeating information, unauthorized decision-makers, etc.